Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to medical therapies involving the administering of electrical treatment energy. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method that produces two treatment zones: a first zone surrounding the electrodes within which cells are killed non-selectively and a second selective treatment zone surrounding the first zone within which cells are killed selectively, such as aberrant cells. In specific embodiments, systems and methods for selectively treating cells, such as cancer cells, through administration of a train of electrical pulses wherein the pulse length and delay between successive pulses is optimized to produce effects on intracellular membrane potentials are provided. Through the systems and methods of the invention, infiltrating tumor cells disposed within a tumor margin can be effectively treated while sparing healthy tissue within the tumor margin.
Description of Related Art
Focal ablation techniques typically attack tumors by destroying cancerous cells within a well-defined region. Typically, these techniques destroy all of the cells and tissue structure within the treated volume, not just the cancerous cells. A major challenge of focal ablation technologies is that there is typically a region surrounding the tumor which contains healthy cells and some infiltrative cancerous cells. These infiltrative cancer cells, if untreated, may lead to recurrence of the tumor. The solution, in traditional surgical resection and focal ablation, is to treat beyond the tumor margin in an attempt to also remove these infiltrative cancer cells. This presents a major challenge for tumors which typically arise near critical structures, such as blood vessels and nerves. Thus, there is a need in the art for new electroporation protocols that overcome these limitations.